Pitchfork

Last Thursday at the Parish in Austin, Texas, Phoenix-based laptopper Back Ted N-Ted threw down such a Warp-like platter of skittish beats and fractured (but groovin') samples that I began to wonder whether Jamie Lidell would be returning to his Super_Collider and Muddlin Gear days. The short answer turned out to be: not quite. A one-man show, Lidell stepped up to his table of gear and mic stand and gave the crowd (a good portion of which seemed stuck on Jamie after they saw him open for Beck) a heaping dose of Multiply soul.

But it wasn't all Motown tributes and nods to Otis Redding-- Lidell had, after all, graced the stage barefoot and in a black-trimmed, leopard-print robe like a prizefighting kickboxer, and he burst into a giddy smile when greeted by the sizable audience's welcome. He was having fun and he wasn't going to be playing Multiply by the numbers.

Lidell's latest album did provide most of the night's material, but over the course of the set he manned several extended beats and breakdowns from behind the decks, often injecting winding combos of scats and beatboxing, both of which were heavily processed in real time by Lidell. Deviations from the recordings managed to unfold as a balance between assured production and playful programming.

All of this came to a head on the encore, when Lidell flipped on the beat for "Multiply". The crowd went apeshit singing along to the chorus, and, in response, Lidell offered up the mic to certain crowd members from his perch on the stage. That fun over with, Lidell swung over to the sample machine and laptop to perpetuate the song a few more measures before doing that weird thing that European performers do as they exit the spotlight, where they clap for their appreciative audience. I think he bowed abruptly several times, too.

For more photos and tour dates, see below.

Jamie Lidell dates:

11-01 Los Angeles, CA - Safari Sam's *
11-02 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club *
11-03 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan *
11-04 Seattle, WA - Neumos *!
11-07 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge &
11-09 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge &
11-10 Lawrence, KS - Granada &
11-11 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue $
11-13 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop &
11-14 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace &
11-16 Boston, MA - Paradise #&
11-17 Clinton, NY - Hamilton College Annex &
11-18 New York, NY - Webster Hall ^
11-19 Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe #&
11-20 Washington, DC - Black Cat &
11-21 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel &
11-22 Atlanta, GA - Earl &

* with Safety Scissors
$ with Hot Chip, Born Ruffians
! with Tekgnosis
& with Snax
# with Kid Koala
^ with Man Man, Battles, James T. Cotton